Process for converting liquid hydrocarbon into gaseous fuel



May 21, 1940. J. T. cooK 2,201,965

PROCESS FOR CONVERTING LIQUID HYDROCARBON INTO GASEOUS FUEL Filed Dec. 30; 1957 2 Sheets-Sheeti INVENTOR John T COOK Patented May 21, 1940 UNITED STATES PROCESS FOR CONVERTING LIQUID HY- DROCARBON INTO GASEOUS FUEL John T. Cook, Earl Gray, Saskatchewan, Canada Application December 30, 1937, Serial No. 182,517

, 9 Claims.

This invention relates to a process for cracking and rearranging the molecules of liquid hydrocarbon compounds so as to obtain from them a combustible ga's suitable for the operation of an internal combustion engine or for other uses. The cracking of the liquid hydrocarbon into gas may be carried out either under partial vacuum or under a pressure of from zero to 600 pounds per square inch. The cracking or conversion or rearrangement of the molecules of the liquid hydrocarbon is carried out in the presence of a catalyst, which aids in the rearrangement of the molecules. In carrying out the reaction, the liquid hydrocarbon fuel is preferably heated to a temperature M of 400 to 1200 C.

- Although the invention is applicable to other uses as will be hereinafter more fully explained, it will be described herein more particularly as applied to the conversion of a liquid hydrocarbon into a gaseous hydrocarbon adapted for use as fuel for an internal combustion engine. I may, for example, convert fuel oil or distillate into gaseous hydrocarbons in which the molecules of the gaseous hydrocarbon have been produced by cracking or rearranging the molecules of the fuel oil or distillate. The gaseous hydrocarbons produced in accordance with my invention remain in the gaseous phase at atmospheric temperature and pressure. As an example, the composition of one sample of gaseous hydrocarbons produced in accordance with my invention is:

Percent Hydrogen 5.8 Oleflns 52.2 saturates- 41.8 C0, C02, HzS 0.2

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, in connection with an internal combustion engine in which the products of combustion of the engine are utilized for cracking the liquid hydrocarbon .into gaseous hydrocarbons.

In the accompanying drawings whichillustrate the present preferred embodiment of my invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an internal combustion engine, a cracking chamber and associated parts;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section, to an enlarged scale, showing the cracking chamber, and

Figure 4 is a vertical section IV-I-V of Fig. 3.

taken on the line Referring more particularly to the accompany-- ing drawings. there is shown an internal combustion engine designated by the reference numeral 2. The engine is provided with any usual or suitable type of carburetor 3 which is connected by a passage 4 to the intake manifold 5 of the engine which supplies the mixture of fuel and air to the engine in a manner which is well known.

The engine is provided with exhaust passages l for the products of combustion from the engine. These passages are connected by vertical passages 8 to a reaction chamber designated by the reference numeral 9 and shown in detail in Figures 3 and 4. The reaction chamber is formed of double walls It) and ii having heat insulating material I2 therebetween in order to form an outer heat insulating casing. Located inside of the outer casing is a double walled annular catalyst chamber having an outer wall it and an inner wall l4 spaced from each other and providing a passage I 5 through the interior of the catalyst chamber. The catalyst chamber is filled with a catalyst whichaids in conversion of the heavier hydrocarbon fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons during the cracking process. A suitable catalyst material is nickel ammonium sulphate. A saturated solution of nickel ammonium sulphate may be applied to an inert carrier material such as ground brick or calcined clay and the carrier material thoroughly dried. The catalyst chamber is preferably made of steel oriron, it having been found that the combined catalytic effect of the nickel ammonium sulphate and iron is very effective in aiding the cracking operation. I may use other nickel compounds as catalysts, or I may use cobalt or other metals of group VIII of the periodic table or their compounds.

The fuel to be cracked is supplied through a pipe H from any suitable source such as a gravity feed fuel tank or a vacuum fuel tank, or the fuel may be supplied under pressure of 0 to 600 pounds per square inch. The flow of fuel is controlled by a valve 3 and is supplied through an inlet I9 to the catalyst chamber. The fuel to be cracked flows from left to right through the catalyst chamber, asviewed in Figure 3, and the cracked vapors flow through an outlet 20 and from there are led back to the engine in a manner which will be described more fully hereinafter.

The products of combustion from the engine flow into the interior of the reaction chamber through the inlet openings 8, and then circulate around the catalyst chamber flowing both in the space between the catalyst chamber and the outer casing and in the passage l5 which extends through the center of the catalyst chamber. The

passage I5 is connected by an exhaust pipe 2| to a muflier. It will be noted that the products of combustion, in flowing through the space 22 between the catalyst chamber and the outer casing, flow concurrent with the flow of fuel in the catalyst chamber. Thereafter when the products of combustion are flowing through the passage l5, they flow countercurrent to the flow of fuel in the catalyst chamber. Furthermore the products of combustion are supplied to the chamber 22 through a plurality of inlet openings which are spaced along the major part of the chamber 22. Thus the fuel in the catalyst chamber is first heated by the products of combustion entering through the left hand inlet 8, and are thereafter subjected to more intense heating due to the products of combustion entering the inlets which are located farther toward the right hand end of the cracking chamber. It has been found that the arrangement shown is particularly efficient in rapidly heating the fuel to cracking temperature so that the vapor phase cracking of the fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons may be rapidly carried out.

The gases from the catalyst chamber are led by pipe 23 to mixing chamber 4 where they are mixed in the right proportion with the air and admitted to the engine cylinders through intake manifold 51. The pipe 23 is provided with a throttle valve 24 having a throttle valve lever 25 and a throttle lever 26 which is connected to a governoror hand accelerator pedal, not shown. Also connected to the same pedal is a throttle lever 21 which operates a throttle valve 28 through a throttle valve lever 29,

It will be understood that since the liquid hydrocarbon is cracked into gaseous hydrocarbons by the products of combustion of the engine, it

is necessary to provide some means for heating the reaction chamber to cracking temperature before the gaseous hydrocarbon fuel may be employed to run the engine. I- employ the regular gasoline supply system for supplying a mixture of ordinary gasoline and air to the engine until such time as the reaction chamber has been heated to a temperature suflicient to enable the utilization of heavier hydrocarbon fuel. The carburetor 3 is provided with an inlet 30 for the gasoline employed during the heating up period of the reaction chamber. The carburetor has air inlet openings 3| and 32 and also a needle valve provided with an adjusting screw 33 for regulating the richness of the mixture of gasoline and air. Since these parts may be of any'usual construction, they are not specifically described. During the period in which the reaction chamber is being heated up, the flow of mixed gasoline and air from the carburetor 3 into the engine is controlled by the throttle valve 28. Thereafter when the cracked gas is being employed for running the engine, the valve 24 controls the flow of fuel while the throttle valve 28 controls the flow of air. Thus the cracked gas supplied through the pipe 23 is mixed with air in the carburetor and the mixture then supplied to the engine through the regular intake passages.

In operation, ordinary gasoline is employed during the starting period. This is supplied through the inlet 30, is mixed with air in the carburetor and is supplied through the intake manifold 5 and connectingpassages, to the cylinders of the engine. The products of combustion enter the cracking chamber through the inlet passages 8 and flow, as previously described, through the reaction chamber. 7

-The outlet passage 20 for the cracked gas is provided with a thermocouple 34 which is connected to a heat indicator, not shown, thereby enabling the operator to determine when the reaction chamber has been heated to a sufficiently high temperature.

When the reaction chamber has been heated up to the proper point, say from 400 C. to 1200 C. depending upon the particular fuel which is to be cracked, the valve [8 is opened and the needle valve 33 is closed. The valves l8 and 33 may be interlocked so that when one of them is opened the other is closed, thus making automatic the switch-over from regular gasoline employed during the starting, to cracked gas employed thereafter. After the valve i 8 has been opened and the valve 333 closed; the engine operates on the cracked gas. The cracked gases are mixed with the air in the mixing chamber 4 and then supplied to the engine.

The suction stroke of the engine pistons creates a partial vacuum in the mixing chamber 4 for drawing a mixture of fuel and air into the cylinders. This creates a partial vacuum in the catalyst chamber since it is in communication with the chamber 4 through the pipe 23. This partial vacuum aids in causing the heavier hydrocarbon fuel to flow through the catalyst chamber and aids in the vapor phase cracking of such fuel. It

will be noted that a temperature is employed such that the cracking will take place in the vapor phase. Furthermore, the vapor phase cracking or reaction is such that the cracked product is a gas which remains in the gaseous phase at atmospheric temperature and pressure. The. use of a catalyst aids in the conversion of the liquid hydrocarbon into the cracked gaseous hydrocarbons.

The invention as thus far described has referred to cracking or converting the liquid hydrocarbon fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons by employing the heat of the products of combustion of an internal combustion engine for carrying out the cracking process. I may, however, employ a different source of heat for cracking the liquid hydrocarbon and producing gaseous products of reaction therefrom. The invention may be used in connection with a heating furnace or a steam boiler or a lighting system or in any other place where a gas would replace liquid fuels. Thus, for example, in a heating furnace, the liquid hydrocarbon fuel may be converted into gaseous hydrocarbons by passing the liquid fuel through a catalyst' chamber heated by the waste furnace gases. If desired, supplemental heat may be supplied to the catalyst chamber, in order to raise it to the required temperature desired for producing the gaseous hydrocarbons from the liquid fuel. The

gaseous hydrocarbons are for the furnace.

Although I have illustrated and described the present preferred embodiment of my invention,

then utilized as fuel it is to be understood that the invention may be 6. A process for converting liquid hydrocarbon perature sufficient to crack it into gaseous hydrocarbons by the products of combustion of an internal combustion engine, and maintaining the catalyst chamber under partial vacuum during the cracking operation by utilizing the suction of the internal combustion engine.

2. A process for converting liquid hydrocarbon fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons adapted for use as fuel, which comprises passing the liquid hydrocarbon fuel through a catalyst chamber made of iron or steel in contact with nickel ammonium sulphate while heating the fuel to be converted to a temperature of 400 C. to 1200 C.

3. A process for'converting liquid hydrocarbon fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons adapted for use as fuel, which comprises passing the fuel to be converted, without admixture of air, through a catalyst chamber in contact with nickel ammonium sulphate, and heating the fuel in the catalyst chamber to a temperature sufficient to crack it into gaseous hydrocarbons.

4. A process for converting liquid hydrocarbon fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons adapted for use as fuel in an internal combustion engine, which comprises passing the fuel to be converted, without admixture of air, through a catalyst chamber in contact with an ammonium sulphate salt of a metal of group VIII of the periodic table, heating the fuel in the catalyst chamber to a temperature of 400 C. to 1200" C. and maintaining the catalyst chamber under partial vacuum during the cracking operation by utilizing the suction of the internal combustion engine.

5. A process for converting liquid hydrocarbon fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons adapted for use as fuel in an internal combustion engine, which comprises passing the fuel to be converted, without admixture of air, through a catalyst chamber in contact with an ammonium sulphate salt of a metal of group VIII of the periodic table, heating the fuel in the catalyst chamber to a temperature of 400 C. to 1200 C. and supplying the cracked gaseous hydrocarbons to the internal combustion engine.

fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons adapted for use as fuel in an internal combustion engine, which comprises passing the fuel to be converted, without admixture of air, through a catalyst chamber in contact with an ammonium sulphate salt of a metal of group VIII of the periodic table, heating the fuel in the catalyst chamber to a temperature sufficient to crack it in the vapor phase by the products of combustion of an internal combustion engine, the products of combustion flowing firstconcurrent and then countercurrent to the flow of fuel to be converted, and maintaining the catalyst chamber under partial vacuum during the cracking operation by utilizing the suction of the internal combustion engine.

7. A process for converting liquid hydrocarbon fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons adapted for use as fuel, which comprises heating the liquid hydrocarbon, without admixture of air, in contact with an ammonium sulphate salt of a metal of group VIII of the periodic table to a temperature of 400 C. to 1200 C.

8. A process for converting liquid hydrocarbon fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons adapted for use as fuel, which comprises heating the liquid hydrocarbon, without admixture of air, in contact with an ammonium sulphate salt of a metal of the group consisting of nickel and cobalt to a temperature of 400 C. to 1200 C.

9. A process for converting liquid hydrocarbon fuel into gaseous hydrocarbons adapted for use as fuel, which comprises heating the liquid hydrocarbon, without admixture of air, in a catalyst chamber made of iron or steel in contact with nickel ammonium sulphate while heating the fuel to be converted to a temperature of 400 -C. to 1200 C., and utilizing the gaseous hydro.-

carbons so produced for heating the liquid hydrocarbon fuel.

JOHN T. COOK. 

